I think I will be making an upgrade in early 2023 from my old Bounty Hunter tracker IV. I have done a fair amount of research but I know everyone on here has a vast amount of experience and has tried a lot of different detectors so am definitely interested in hearing opinions and thoughts.
Background: I purchased a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV about 5 years ago on a whim. I have learned a lot using that machine and feel like I have definitely learned all the basics of metal detecting pretty well (how the machines work, what the machine is communicating, researching and finding productive spots, etc etc)
Uses: Primary uses would be fields and woods along with the occasional park. I live in central New Jersey but don't really do much at the beach. I occasionally detect very very very small streams (never deeper than 1 foot of water) so I don't think I need a fully immersible unit since even with a fall the box would never be under water. The primary reason for upgrade is added depth. Central New Jersey is full of "old dirt" all the way back to colonial times. and I have found some great sites to detect but feel very limited with the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV.
I have found some great items (indian head pennies, silver etc) with tracker IV but even those great finds have been in my opinion extremely shallow. I feel like I have found great sites and occasionally get lucky with finding something old that managed to stay pretty shallow ( tree roots preventing coin from sinking too deep or in a very rock area where coins couldn't sink that far). I feel like I'm missing out on a lot with the Tracker 4 not being able to go deep enough so for my new detector one of the most important features is getting the best "bang for my buck" in terms of depth while staying in my budget.
Budget: Looking to stay under $400. I don't have as much time as I would like to go metal detecting due to work, wife, kids, other hobbies but feel that there is a big improvement step up available from where I am currently at while still staying below $400. When more time opens up in the future I can always upgrade again and use this upgrade as a backup for an even higher end machine potentially in the future.
Possibilities: The two machines I have spent the most looking at are the Vanquish 540 and the Simplex although I am definitely interested in hearing opinions on other machines as well that I haven't looked at as closely but that maybe I should also consider.
Thank you for all of your help, and Happy Holidays.
Bill
Background: I purchased a Bounty Hunter Tracker IV about 5 years ago on a whim. I have learned a lot using that machine and feel like I have definitely learned all the basics of metal detecting pretty well (how the machines work, what the machine is communicating, researching and finding productive spots, etc etc)
Uses: Primary uses would be fields and woods along with the occasional park. I live in central New Jersey but don't really do much at the beach. I occasionally detect very very very small streams (never deeper than 1 foot of water) so I don't think I need a fully immersible unit since even with a fall the box would never be under water. The primary reason for upgrade is added depth. Central New Jersey is full of "old dirt" all the way back to colonial times. and I have found some great sites to detect but feel very limited with the Bounty Hunter Tracker IV.
I have found some great items (indian head pennies, silver etc) with tracker IV but even those great finds have been in my opinion extremely shallow. I feel like I have found great sites and occasionally get lucky with finding something old that managed to stay pretty shallow ( tree roots preventing coin from sinking too deep or in a very rock area where coins couldn't sink that far). I feel like I'm missing out on a lot with the Tracker 4 not being able to go deep enough so for my new detector one of the most important features is getting the best "bang for my buck" in terms of depth while staying in my budget.
Budget: Looking to stay under $400. I don't have as much time as I would like to go metal detecting due to work, wife, kids, other hobbies but feel that there is a big improvement step up available from where I am currently at while still staying below $400. When more time opens up in the future I can always upgrade again and use this upgrade as a backup for an even higher end machine potentially in the future.
Possibilities: The two machines I have spent the most looking at are the Vanquish 540 and the Simplex although I am definitely interested in hearing opinions on other machines as well that I haven't looked at as closely but that maybe I should also consider.
Thank you for all of your help, and Happy Holidays.
Bill